SportsTurf 31www.stma.org

of knowledge and ideas than in sports turf. Early in one’s career, it’sshould be more about what one learns, than what one earns. Havepatience, it doesn’t come over night. Get a broad base of experienceearly on your career track. Most importantly, learn how to learn!Read that last sentence again.

STEVE WIGHTMAN, San Diego ChargersI think three important qualities that an NFL field manager, or

any person for that matter, must have to be truly successful are:• Leadership. Having the ability to create a cohesive productive

workforce through one’s own actions. Being a team leader is being apart of the team and allowing the team members to be part of theprocess. Give staff members responsibilities and ownership of proj-ects. To be a successful leader those that you lead need to have theability to grow. Give them the room and freedom to do so. They willrespect you for it.

• Professionalism. Having the knowledge of one’s craft and thewillingness to share it with others. There’s no greater way to gainknowledge than through experience. Share your experiences withothers. Being a true professional is living your life as one.

• Attitude. Getting along with all of the stakeholders is critical innot only helping to promote a successful event but also in promotingone’s professionalism and reputation. Look at it as an opportunity toexcel, not just as a field manager but in life, as well. Ask the question,

“How can I assist you in helping to make your part more successful?”A good attitude always puts people at ease and opens doors. A goodattitude breeds respect.

My college business degree has been valuable in giving me muchof the organizational skills and financial tools necessary in my workas an NFL field manager. However 37 years of experience, mentorsI’ve had along the way and the networking opportunities afforded methrough STMA have taught me the craft of sports turf manage-ment. I’ve been very fortunate to have had bosses who have given methe latitude and support to grow and learn. All of my friends and col-leagues with STMA have helped me learn the meaning of what asports field manager should be.

As one who has spent most all of his working life as an NFL fieldmanager I would offer to those who aspire to be in the NFL to lookdeep inside yourself for the passion that you will need. Having theresponsibility of an NFL playing field and all of the fear, heartaches,sweat, tears, joy, humiliation and satisfaction that come with it canbe difficult to bear. But, like anything else that’s worth having it’sextremely gratifying to see the fruits of your labor on Sunday after-noon! If you enjoy an 8-hour work day, having free evenings, week-ends and holidays then you might look for work elsewhere. But, ifyou enjoy challenges, hard work, long hours and impossible deadlinesto create a product that very few have the opportunity to attempt,then this career is for you.

NFL Careers

32 SportsTurf | July 2010 www.sportsturfonline.com

However, I don’t believe anyone can go it alone. Align yourselfwith others in the industry and ask questions. Reach out to someonewhom you respect and admire and ask them to be your mentor. Jointhe STMA, if you haven’t already, and take advantage all of thethings that the association has to offer. You will get know those inthe industry and, perhaps even more important, they will get toknow you. Get a degree in sports field management because a formal

education will open doors for you. Become certified through theSTMA; more doors will open and higher salaries will follow. But,above all, I think the things that will push you to a successful careeras an NFL field manager are leadership, professionalism and the atti-tude that you carry with you everywhere you go.

TOM VAUGHAN, Carolina PanthersWhat are 3 important qualities an NFL turf manager must

have to be successful? 1. Dedication 2. Good managerial skills3.Technical knowledge and a willingness to continue learningthroughout your career.

What specific education and/or work experiences best pre-pared you for your NFL career? I graduated from ClemsonUniversity with a B.S. degree in Horticulture with a turfgrass man-agement concentration, minor in ornamentals, and interned and later

worked on the maintenance crew of a PGA Tour golf course. Itenabled me to gain valuable experience quickly. I started as an assis-tant manager in the NFL before moving into my current position.

Gaining experience in ornamentals and landscape maintenance aswell as sports field management was important. You will in all likeli-hood have to do more than just manage sports fields.

What words of advice do you have for younger turf managerswho aspire to work in the NFL? Earn post-high school education.Get a degree in an industry-related major. Be willing to start at thebottom and work your way up. You will gain valuable experienceand contacts along the way that will pay off in the long run.

ALLEN JOHNSON, CSFM, Green Bay PackersWhat are three important qualities an NFL turf manager must

have to be successful? 1, Be extremely detail oriented; 2, Be humbleand willing to learn, accompanied with the ability to adapt and trynew management techniques to “make something work”; and 3,Possess savvy communication skills.

What specific education and/or work experiences best pre-pared you for your NFL career? Being raised on a dairy farm.

What words of advice do you have for younger turf managerswho aspire to work in the NFL? Get as much work experience aspossible via internships, summer jobs in related fields, etc. Also bewilling to move anywhere to gain that experience. Because footballopportunities are limited, don’t hesitate to work in other sports. Beproactive in getting your name out there—network. If you are anexceptional employee you are more likely to get a positive reference.

SEAN VANOS, Seattle SeahawksThree important qualities an NFL turf manager must have to be

successful are organization, a good work ethic, and good communica-tion skills.

Organization: Being in professional sports and managing a stadi-um or practice field means that there are a lot of dates/times to keeptrack of. It is important to know everything that is going on thatinvolves the field and when it is going to happen so that you canhave it prepared, painted, and ready to go.

Good Work Ethic: Professional sports are very demanding.Weekends tend to blend in with the workweek and you work a lot ofhours. During certain times of the year when you are in the regularseason or hosting training camp you may not get a day off for months!

Good Communication Skills: We are providing a safe andplayable surface to a multi-million dollar product that is performingon the field. It is critical that we communicate to the entire footballstaff what is going on outside. In addition, it is important to be ableto communicate upward so that you have the resources to providethe safest and most consistent playing surface possible.

Working in the golf industry and Major League Baseball provid-ed me with the opportunity to see the industry from differentpoints of view. Those experiences also gave me the opportunity tosee how important the playing surface is to the game. Most impor-tantly I learned what it means to work hard, long hours to make anevent happen.

Facility&Operations

Gaining experience in ornamentalsand landscape maintenance as wellas sports field management wasimportant. You will in all likelihoodhave to do more than just managesports fields.

>> VIEW OF DOWNTOWN Charlotte from the Panthers’ practice fields

SportsTurf 33www.stma.org

Preparation for a PGA Tour event or anAll-Star Game happens months in advance ofthe actual event taking place. My experienceworking in that atmosphere showed me howimportant it is to be prepared and organizedwell in advance of game day.

My advice to younger turf managers whoaspire to work in the NFL is to maintain asolid network of turf managers. It is throughthat network that you will get into the jobthat you want or that you are looking for.Also, be ready to work! You have to put insome time to get to the “top.” Your experi-ence working your way up will provide youwith resources and knowledge of things youlike and dislike as you get into your firstmanagement position.

DARIAN DAILY,Cincinnati Bengals

What are three important qualities anNFL turf manager must have to be success-ful? Patience. Often major decisions affectingyour area (i.e. budgetary considerations, con-struction projects, etc) are made at a higherlevel than you- and often their timetabledoesn’t necessarily jive with yours. Just keepyour calm, try to keep your administrationinformed/educated on all supporting infor-mation so they don’t have to go “searching”for facts, and be ready to go when they are.

Organization/Preparedness. When you areorganized and have a plan for the worst possi-ble scenario, then you can be ready for any-thing thrown your way.

Flexibility. Practice schedules and loca-tions, weather, and coaches will change thingsconstantly so you must be flexible and readyfor anything. The only thing that is a given ison Sunday there will be a kickoff.

What specific education and/or workexperiences best prepared you for yourNFL career? I think all the previous jobs I’vehad have prepared me for my career in theNFL. Working in parks and recreation andwhile in college, I learned to allocateresources to the most pressing need at thetime, how to prioritize/multi-task, and howto deal with all types of personalities.

My time in Minor League Baseball,Division I, and Major League Soccer taughtdifferent field layouts, machinery and tech-niques that allow us to be prepared for multi-

NFL Careers

ple events here in Cincinnati. And even in everyday maintenance I’ve borrowed ideas frompast venues I’ve worked in. A specific example is where we have integrated crushed brickfrom baseball’s warning tracks in our high traffic walk areas and as mulch in landscaping tocut down on weeding.

I truly believe that each step in your career provides invaluable experience and learningopportunities that will prepare you for success in the future.

What words of advice do you have for younger turf managers who aspire to work inthe NFL? I would suggest getting as much experience as you can. Don’t specialize in onesport. You can learn a lot from working in other disciplines and working with different typesof sports fields, techniques, and personalities. Also, take every opportunity to learn from oth-ers and build relationships within the industry. In any adversity you face in your career oreven in your job, chances are someone has been through the same thing and can share whatdid/did not work for them.

KEN MROCK, Chicago BearsPatienceBe a good listenerBe ready to change your schedule at a moment’s noticeI have been fortunate to have worked in turf since my 16th birthday, from golf courses to

the park district to the NFL. That career has spanned 43 years but it doesn’t seem that muchtime has passed. I hope to continue for many more years to come; this field that we are inoffers us variety, daily sense of accomplishment, and the joy that so many people can use andadmire good-looking turf. The safety and the meaning of natural turf being the true timetested GREEN INDUSTRY.

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The best advice I can give is: be patient; never stop being a hardworker; volunteer; be the first one to want an additional task; askquestions if you are stumped; don’t look for any pats on the back.

The best news is when you don’t hear any comments about yourturf, because then you know you are doing your job. I will repeatmyself with the listening part, and above all be honest; some timesyou have to tell people things that they don’t want to really hear,there is a way to do that and make them aware they are part of thesolution not part of the problem.

Finally to all the young folks, us old timers will not be here forev-er, and seeing all these young hard working turf folks we know ourprofession will be in great hands forever.

TROY SMITH, CSFM, Denver BroncosWhat are three important qualities an NFL turf manager must

have to be successful? The ability to grow good grass, good commu-nication skills, and the ability to be flexible with job scheduling dueto weather conditions.

What specific education and/or work experiences best pre-pared you for your NFL career? A 4-year degree in turf manage-ment from Colorado State University, a college internship, workingat CSU while enrolled as a student on their athletic fields, workingfor the Milwaukee Brewers before starting with the Broncos.

What words of advice do you have for younger turf managers

who aspire to work in the NFL? Take the time to get your educa-tion, either a 2-year or 4-year degree. While enrolled in school takethe opportunity to perform an internship. This will give real worldexperience for you to learn from. Don’t be afraid to learn aboutgrasses you are not comfortable with. To really round out yourresume, experience with cool and warm season grasses is helpful. Ifyou have the means and ability, don’t be afraid to move around thecountry to gain experience. Become involved in the STMA and usethe contacts you make through the association as a network ofpeers. Who knows? One of these contacts may have a job openingone day that you will be prepared for.

TONY LEONARD, Philadelphia EaglesUnderstanding of Demands/DedicationI think this is the most important quality we all need to have as

turf managers, not only at the NFL level, but at every level. In theNFL, as we bring on more and more team sponsors and as the gamegrows, the demand for field use is high as is the quality of the playingsurface on game days. Throughout the year, we try to satisfy allrequests for field usage, whether it’s a Punt, Pass, and Kick, or aFantasy Camp, but at strategically selected dates. Our marketingdepartment does a great job of working with clients and selectingdates that we give to them. As we move closer to the football season,we scale back on such events.

www.sportsturfonline.com

Facility&Operations

34 SportsTurf | July 2010

SportsTurf 35www.stma.org

John Mascaro’s Photo Quiz

If you would like to submit a photograph for JohnMascaro’s Photo Quiz please send it to John Mascaro, 1471Capital Circle NW, Ste # 13, Tallahassee, FL 32303 call (850)580-4026 or email to john@turf-tec.com. If your photographis selected, you will receive full credit. All photos submittedwill become property of SportsTurf magazine and theSports Turf Managers Association.

Answers from page 17

The green turf surrounded by water was the result of the perfectstorm. This stadium in Jacksonville’s field drain is actually at avery low elevation, at times it is below the Saint John’s River

water level so the entire field’s drainage layer is sealed with an impervi-ous clay layer to prevent saltwater from encroaching. The entire stadi-um, which includes not only the playing field but also the stands,drains into this drainage system and then flow into six vaults which arethen pumped out by electric pumps. The entire drainage system isdependent on these electric pumps to keep the field drained.

In September 2007, the field and stadium received more than 8inches of rain in 48 hours. The following day they received an addition-al 8 inches of rain and the fuses that ran the pumps blew, causing thepumps to fail. Since it was a day off for the crew, no one noticed thestadium for a couple of hours. Once the fuses were replaced, thepumps emptied the water off the grass in about 2 hours. There wasno damage to the turf with the exception of a bunch of peanut shellsand trash from the stands that needed to be picked up. Now that theyknow the stadium will hold water, they could host Jet Ski races there.

Photo submitted by Mark Clay, Sports Turf Manager and NickFedewa, Assistant Sports Field Manager at Jacksonville MunicipalStadium in Jacksonville, FL.

36 SportsTurf | July 2010 www.sportsturfonline.com

Facility&Operations

This job requires a lot of attention and time. The NFL is a year-round sport. A lot of preparation goes into what happens fromSeptember through January, or hopefully, February. Preparation isnot only in the meeting rooms or draft rooms, but out on the prac-tice fields or game fields. We perform cultural practices, moisturemanagement, spray programs, and use growth regulators at certainpoints of the growing season to make our fields strong for 20 weeksin the fall and winter. A lot of daily attention is spent making sureour fields can withstand the abuse of 300+ pound lineman practicing

or playing throughout the fall. In order to do all this, you, as well asyour staff, needs to be dedicated. Fortunately in Philadelphia, I havealways had a phenomenal staff that does what it takes to make sureall of our playing fields are safe and playable at all times.

Be PatientMore and more students coming out of colleges and universities,

as well as others in the green industry want a career in sports turfmanagement. In the NFL, as supply out numbers the demand, someindividuals need sacrifice and take smaller roles on grounds crews inorder to work their way up the ladder to an assistant or the head job.Baseball is a little different in that there are many minor league stadi-ums to work for, along with MLB. Sometimes joining a groundscrew as a foreman, a landscape staff member, or whatever positionyou can get to have one foot in the door will pay off in the end.

CommunicationAs in any business, communication is essential. Whether it’s with

the coaching staff, players, front office, or colleagues, you alwaysneed to be in constant communication with each other. There aremany moving parts daily in the NFL, and whether its email, a dailymeeting, social networking sites, or simply phone calls, allowing peo-ple to know and understand what you are trying to accomplish andknowing and understanding what others are trying to accomplish willallow you to be successful.

Sometimes over communication appears to be too much, but it’s

>> THERE ARE NO weather-related postponements in the NFL

SportsTurf 37www.stma.org

NFL Careers

better than the alternative, not knowing enough. This will also allowfor you to cut off any potential problems when notifying the properpeople before someone else catches it. I think one great example ofthis is with the media. A few years ago, we were taking a lot of criti-cism about the appearance of our field, not the play. Our PR staffsuggested that on the Friday Production meetings, held before everyhome game, I would answer any questions the announcers or produc-ers of the broadcast had about the field. I would also try to use thistime to explain the field condition, weather, or if we hosted a collegegame the previous day. This meeting would not happen before everygame, but when I felt it was necessary to let them aware of what wasgoing on at the time. This allowed all of us to have a better under-standing of each other and what I was trying to accomplish.

All of the places that I was fortunate enough to work at, I wasable to take a little bit away from each. Working with Dr. AndyMcNitt at Penn State on soil inclusions was interesting and then tak-ing that a step further while working for Hummer Turfgrass Systemson their GrassTile project. While there, I was able to play aroundwith different grasses such as seashore paspalum and bermudagrasseson the tray systems. That was a great experience to learn a little moreabout the warm season grasses.

While at Penn State, working on the grounds crew and BobHudzik was a great learning experience. That is where I was firstintroduced to Sports Turf Management and it could not have come

from a better person. Mark Kresovich was another important rolemodel for all students working on the Grounds Crew at Penn State,establishing all the fundamentals and work ethic within the crew.

Students in school and young graduates should be willing to be“portable.” I was very fortunate to grow up in central Pennsylvaniaand to work for the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles,teams very close to home. However, this is not always the situation.Having 32 teams in the NFL makes it difficult to pick and chooseyour locations. Keeping an open mind, being dedicated and willingto relocate will go a long way. This will also allow one to grow pro-fessionally and be able to experience different climate conditions anddifferent outlooks on field management.

Never stop learning and think outside the box. NFL stadiums arecontinually finding more and more events to support the high costsof building a new stadium. Just this spring we hosted a private scrim-mage between the Philadelphia Union and Ecuador on Tuesday, aHigh School and youth All Star game on Thursday, and then a regu-lar season Philadelphia Union MLS match. We ended up paintingthe soccer lines for the scrimmage in gold, used an aerosol chalk forthe football games, and then repainted the soccer with white forSaturday. By Saturday, the chalk had washed off and no one everknew we had hosted 2 other events that same week. Using some ofthe newer technology that’s in our industry will allow you to becomean asset to your organization. ■

www.sportsturfonline.com

Tools&Equipment

38 SportsTurf | July 2010

Ultra FriendlyLine expands

Pioneer Athletics continuesto revolutionize the athleticsindustry by being the only manu-facturer of Zero-VOC, EPA rec-ognized “Design for theEnvironment” (DfE) athletic fieldmarking paints. As a result of thegreat success of their first Earth-friendly paint, Brite Stripe UltraFriendly, Pioneer has introducedtheir second and third paints inthe UF family. Game Day UltraFriendly is the first premium-pig-ment paint with enhanced opticalbrighteners and an environmen-tally conscious formula. StarLineUltra Friendly is a bag-in-a-boxpaint that is both an alternativeto aerosols and a companion tothe StarLiner athletic field striper.

www.pioneerathletics.com

Conco high-visibility paints

Bright and versatile,Conco Acrylic Athletic FieldMarking Paint is ideal forbaseball, football, soccer, andother athletic fields atschools, universities, andparks. Our quick-drying,easy-to-apply bright white

paint is enhanced with optical brighteners that maxi-mize line visibility. This cost-effective formula can beapplied to both natural grass and artificial turf, andmay be reduced up to 200% with water. Our formulalasts longer than powdered marking materials, andis available in White, Bright White, and hundreds ofother colors.

www.concopaints.com

Beacon Field Mark systemTake the hassles out of using a tape measure and batter’s box templates

every time you mark the field. Permanent Field Marks reduce marking time.Placed at the perfect depth with the installation tool, they remain noticeablewhen marking but won’t interfere with play. Mark corners of the batter’s box,defining edge of baselines/foul lines, soccer goal corners, end zone and footballfield edges.

www.beaconathletics.com

New TheRok stripermachine

The Rok is a newconcept combiningbenefits of the ridingand pedestrian (push)striper to produce an

extremely productive and versatile machine. The environ-mentally friendly electric e-Rok, is used in conjunction withthe Kombi or BeamRider, allowing you the option to eitherride and paint or demount the Kombi/BeamRider for tradition-al use. The Rok has a low center of gravity with rack andpinion steering, allowing precise control and making it easyto produce quality straight lines. No fuel, no maintenanceand no noise.

www.fleetus.com

Tru Markpaint boomaccessory

Save time striping footballhash marks and wide areaboundaries with Tru Mark’sPaint Boom Accessory. Heavyduty bolt on bracket assemblywith slide on and off featuresupports quick accessoryattachment for both the TruMark Model E-100 and GracoFieldLazer. The 4 x 24-inch,lightweight aluminum paint boxmakes quick striping on exist-ing hash marks and new widerboundary areas alone the side-lines and for end zone marking.

www.athleticfieldmarker.com

www.stma.org SportsTurf 39

“UltraLite” and GHirrigation hose

Kochek Company introduces their newUltraLite hose. This multi-purpose andlightweight irrigation hose has a rigid 1-inch diameter meeting the needs of sportsturf, golf and all irrigation market applica-tions. The 1-inch diameter has a 1-inch fullflow coupling; the 1 ¼-inch diameter has astandard coupling with 1-inch fitting.

The GH Series Irrigation Hose is a highquality hose that has a smooth black PVCinner tube. The cover is smooth opaquegreen PVC compound reinforced with hightensile strength yarn. It is available in 1and ¾ inch diameters as well as in differ-ent lengths. It is equipped with barb cou-plings and can be ordered with 1-inch fullflow couplings (for 1-in. hose only).

www.kochek.com

Updated kit for Thatch Master TurfTime Equipment LLC, new owner of Thatch Master, introduces a

new update kit that will convert all Thatch Master models to 2010 features.The assembled kit includes a heavy hex shaft withthe new stackable ¼” wide spacers that interlockwith the new seven point carbide tipped blades inoptional 1, 2 or 3 mm thickness plus a heavier driveline of #50 chain and sprockets. The upgrade kit isless than half the cost of a new unit.

www.TurfTimeEq.com

AuditMaster helps evaluate sprinkler performance

Underhill introduces AuditMaster, a professional irrigation auditing kit thathelps trained sports field personnel measure the amount of water that is beingapplied and determine if sprinklers are performing to expectations. The LT Kit

includes all the tools necessary to audit and evalu-ate system performance, based on IrrigationAssociation Guidelines and covered in IA auditclasses. The kit sets up quickly and results are typi-cally determined the same day.

The AuditMaster kit includes: A heavy-dutywheeled duffle bag to store the equipment; 30 largeCatchCanPro cups with inches and centimeters;100-foot measuring tape; ¾” POC hose bib with 160psi pressure gauge; pitot tube attached to a 30-inch

flex hose with 160 psi pressure gauge; sprayhead tester adapter with 160 psipressure gauge; stop watch; anemometer; yellow marking flags (50); 21-inchwire staff and 4” x 5” flag. CatchCanPro water cups are self-standing and easilyanchor into the turf or on adjoining slopes. Constructed from durable polypropy-lene, the efficient design allows for shorter test times.

www.underhill.us

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